YOUR ASSOCIATION CAN BRING YOU BLESSINGS

MEMORY VERSE: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Malachi

BIBLE READING: Psalm 1:1-3

It is very important that you select your friends wisely and carefully. Why? Your friends or association will determine whether you will be a success or a failure. Your friends or association will determine whether you will have a happy marriage or not. Your friends will determine whether you will do well in an examination or fail. Your friends will determine the quality of life you will have. God, and you friends, will determine your lot in this life. How? Firstly, your friends will inform your confession and your confession will inform your lot in this life. According to Romans 10:17, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Just as faith comes by hearing, fear (opposite of faith) comes by hearing. Many today live in fear of people of certain religion because of what they have heard in the media... suicide bombing in this part of the world... suicide bombing in that part of the world... hate crimes being perpetrated by some members of this religion. This tiny group, within this religion, perpetrating this hate crime may not truly represent this religion; however, what we hear in the news about them has informed a lot of things. Everything you hear is a seed that will go into your soul and produce fruits. Luke 6:45 says: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Whenever you see a brother saying there are no jobs or there are no good women to marry or there are no opportunities in this country, go and check out his friends. You will find that, 9 out of 10 times, his confessions are similar to those of his friends. If there is a problem with your confession, there will be a problem with your life because whatever you confess is what you will have (Numbers 14:28). If you make sickly confession, you will become sick.

Secondly, your association will inform your behaviour. The elders have a wise saying: “show me your friends and i will tell you who you are.” If you really want to know who a person is, look at their friends. I am always wary of so-called “good people” who have a lot of bad friends. The simple reason is that, the Word of God says: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed (Amos 3:3)?” For the sake of argument, let’s say he does not agree with the bad boy lifestyle; he is only their friend to change them. 1 Corinthian 15:33 says: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” There is a saying in Latin: “qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent”. The meaning in English is this, “he that lieth with dogs shall rise up with fleas”. Judas Iscariot’s association with the Pharisees turned him into a rogue disciple. It is easier to turn a good person into a bad person than to turn a bad person into a good person. Your association will affect how you perceive life. It will affect your attitude to life. If you sit around those who whinge, moan and complain, after a while you will unconsciously begin to whinge, moan and complain too. If care is not taken, people will start to avoid you or distant themselves from you because no one loves people who whinge. Thirdly, your association will inform what you get from the Lord. According to Psalm 1:1-3, association with the godly will bring increase and fruitfulness. Verse 1 says: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” However, association with the ungodly will cause the opposite.

NOTE: If you are going to be successful in life, make sure you associate with those who will tell you the truth not those who will tell you what you want to hear.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world